Over the last two weeks a lot has changed in our lives! Three days after welcoming Keith home from Korea, we began our PCS to Fort Bliss.
For those of you who are not familiar with Army acronyms, PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station and, really, there’s nothing permanent about it. It means we’re moving from one location to another.
We took one day to celebrate Keith being home and then it was GO time for preparing for our packers to arrive and begin putting everything we own into boxes and crates.
The hardest part of PCSing for me is saying goodbye to friends who have become family. These are people who I have invested in and who have invested in me and my family as well.
We had such an incredible community at Fort Leavenworth, both on post with our neighbors and off post with our church family.
Our Sunday School class gave us a going away party where we got to say goodbye to everyone there. These friends have ministered to our family so well with Keith being away over the last year.
At the going away party, they all gathered around us and prayed over our family and for our upcoming move.
In these men and women…these families…we’ve seen a true example of what God desires of His church.
We also had to say goodbye to our neighbors before leaving Leavenworth. Our neighbors have been our family for the last two years. We’ve lived close and become the best of friends. Our kids have played together and grown to love each other like siblings. My friends and I have depended on one another. We’ve looked out for each other. We’ve had coffee dates, craft nights and evening walks.
I’m going to miss these friends more than my words can adequately express.
After several days of packing and saying goodbye, we signed out of housing, loaded up the car and the cat, and began our long drive to El Paso.
Seeing the wide open spaces, mountains and beautiful skies of the southwest made my heart feel so happy and light!!
THIS is pure beauty!!!
On Monday we signed for our house on post at Fort Bliss. It is a historic bungalow built roughly in 1914. I was really unsure about it at first, but now I am so happy that this is the place we’re going to call home for the next two years.
We’re “settling in” as best as we can at the moment.
It will be another week (or two) before our household goods are delivered to us and we can begin the process of unpacking and truly making this house a home.
In the meantime, we’re exploring the area, surviving on the bare basics, and doing what we can to make it more comfortable. Sleeping on air mattresses is getting really old, though and we’re going to be thrilled to sleep on a real bed when our things finally arrive!
I think I miss my washer and dryer more than anything else. Doing laundry at the laundromat is not my favorite, although the one on post that I’ve been using is really close and clean, so it’s not as bad as it could be!
The library is right across the street from our house. There will be no excuses for late fines!! EA attended her first book club meeting on Tuesday evening and MC is going to a painting class there this afternoon.
Keith and I have been able to get away for a lunch date at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant on post. We have a lot of dating and lost time to make up for!! It was nice to sit and talk and just be together.
The kids and I visited the community pool and loved it! We’re planning to spend lots of time there, especially over the next week or two as we’re living in an empty house.
One goal of ours is to make our front porch inviting for neighbors to come by and visit. I want hospitality to be a mark of our time here. Also, we were in need of a place to sit and relax (other than the two camping chairs we brought with us).
We purchased these white rockers from Lowe’s for our front porch and I have loved having this spot to sit and read!
I spent yesterday painting a picnic table for our patio. I’m looking forward to the meals and conversations we’re going to enjoy here with our family and with friends!
We were able to eat our first meal on it this morning…bacon and eggs cooked in a cast iron skillet!
I’m so happy to be back in El Paso…it feels like home! We’re looking forward to reconnecting with friends and making new ones. We’re also looking forward to growing as a family and reconnecting after a long year apart as well.
AND I cannot wait to make this cute little house our home!
Thank you for joining me on this journey!!
Barbie Swihart says
Looks like you are all settling in. Yay for the turquoise table!
Nancy M Olson says
So happy the you’ve arrived safely and to see your new home, the comfy rockers and the beautiful teal table and that you’re all together again.!
Gillian says
Looking forward to hearing about all the goings on in your new adventure! God bless you all.
Jessica says
Just stumbled on your page while l was looking for a new desktop background. I’m a new army wife and it is so great to see the process of PCS and moving to a new place. My husband is still in AIT and we haven’t found out our duty station yet, I have just been such a bundle of nerves about it. Looking forward to reading more from your blog!